Social game



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILTON BRADLEY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

SOCIAL GAME.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 53,56l, dated April 3, 1866; antedated March 30, 1866.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, MILTON BRADLEY, of Springfield, in the county of Hampden and Commonwealth ot Massachusetts, have invented a new Social Game; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification.

The subject of this invention is a game peculiarly adapted to the home-circle from the fact that it can be played by two or more players, as the company may be, and also is susceptible of being so arranged as to impart useful and instructive facts, or to impress moral truths upon the. minds ot' those engaged in the play. The game, as here arranged, is called the checkered game of life, and, in addition to the alnusement and excitement of the game, it is intended to forciblyim'press upon the minds of youth the great moral principles ot' virtue and vice.

I will irst describe the manner of playing this game.

In the drawings, Figure lis the board on which the game is played; and Fig. 2 is a teetotum, for which a die could as well be substituted.

In Fig. 1, a, b c d are four record-dials, introduced to facilitate'the scoring of the game.

ef g h are four differently-colored counters ony men, one belonging to each ot' four players, supposed to be playing the game.

The game is arranged for four players, although it may be played with equal interest by more or less. The player having the lirst move twirls the teetotum, and the number remaining uppermost when the teetotum stops indicates what his move shall be, according to the description of moves on the record-dials. He accordingly enters his counter at Infancy,7 and from there makes his first move immediately. This leaves the square infancy vacant for the next player to the left, who now twirls the teetotum, and, entering at Infancy,77 makes the move designated. Th'us each player in turn twirls the teetotum and moves accordingly. t

When a counter is moved to a square having a hand on it, directions will be found on that square carrying it to another, the position of which on the board is indicated by the index or hand pointing to it. Thus, a counter can never stop on a square having a hand on it.

It' a player has a move that takes his counter to a square occupied by another counter, the lirst occupant must go to JailL-. e., the counter taken up must be set back to Jail,7 from which to take a new start. p

As Will be seen, the most valuable squares are on the upper half ot' the board. the two highest heilig in the upper row. Consequently, it is a loss to be thrown back toward Infancy. It a player' moves into Prison,7 under any circumstances, he must lose one move. Whoever moves to Suicide7 is thrown out otl the game, leaving it to be contested bythe remaining players, it' more than two are playing. Any player who moves onto a square containing a number gains so many toward the game.

The account ot' the game is very conveniently kept ou the record-dial by the rotary brass pointer. Thus, when a player moves onto a square containing tive, turn the pointer to 5, and it' onto another containing ten, to 15, and so ou. Any player who reaches Happy old age77 gains titty, which is added to his amount; but as the winner must gain one hundred, the game is not concluded until some one. has obtained that amount.

As Happy old age77 issurrounded by many diticulties, fifty may oftentimes be gained as soon by a succession ot' smaller numbers as by striving for Happy old age.

As the player, when in the center ot' the board, oftentimes has the choice ot' several dit'- ferent moves, the game becomes very interesting, the more so from the fact that the chance otl the die is so connected with the frequent choice of moves involving the exercise ot' jud gment that it is adapted to interest every class, from youth to age.

Now, having fully described the arrangement and construction of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

As an article ot manufacture, the social game, substantially as herein set forth.

MILTON BRADLEY.

Witnesses LEWIS BRADLEY, J. B. GARDINEE. 

